Leaf removal apparatus and methods of use

ABSTRACT

A leaf removal apparatus for removing one or more wrapper leaves of a harvested produce and its method of use is provided. The apparatus includes a framework, a conveyor comprising a set of parallel rods having a space therebetween, a stripping roller, and a plurality of flexible members. The methods of using the apparatus include feeding a harvested produce onto a conveyor comprising a set of parallel rods having a space therebetween; transporting the harvested produce on the conveyor towards a stripping roller connected to a framework of the leaf removal apparatus; contacting the harvested produce with a plurality of flexible members connected to the framework, and the stripping roller, and loosening or removing one or more wrapper leaves of the harvested produce, wherein one or more of the removed wrapper leaves fall through the space between the rods of the conveyor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/742,429, filed Jun. 17, 2015, which is a Divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/742,319, filed Jan. 15, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.9,078,468, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to commercial produceprocessing, and more specifically to mechanically removing wrapperleaves from a harvested produce.

2. Related Art

The commercial produce industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Forexample, lettuce is produced and shipped year round in the U.S. with thesource of supplies changing with the seasons, with California andArizona dominating U.S. production. Three types of lettuce dominatecommercial production: iceberg, leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce. Ofthese three types, iceberg lettuce makes up the majority of thecommercial lettuce production in the U.S.

Conventionally, the harvesting of lettuce is predominately performed byhand. Field workers will typically hand cut the lettuce from its roots,and place the cut lettuce on a moving platform for subsequent processingand packaging. As part of the subsequent processing steps, outer leavesof the cut lettuce is typically removed for various reasons, such asunpalatable texture. These outer leaves that loosely wrap around alettuce head are also referred to as “wrapper leaves”. The removal ofwrapper leaves is conventionally a labor-intensive process performed byfield workers, which requires workers to manually remove the wrapperleaves without damaging the delicate lettuce head.

Thus, what is needed in the art is a way to efficiently remove wrapperleaves from a harvested produce head without damaging the produce headbefore sending the produce head for further processing and packaging.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for removing one or morewrapper leaves of a harvested produce is provided. The apparatusincludes a framework, a stripping roller, a conveyor, and a plurality offlexible members. The conveyor is configured to transport the harvestedproduce towards the stripping roller. The stripping roller is connectedto the framework, and is configured to rotate and exert a frictionalforce on the harvested produce to remove one or more wrapper leaves ofthe harvested produce. A gap exists between the stripping roller and theoutput end of the conveyor, and one or more of the removed wrapperleaves may fall through the gap. The plurality of flexible members isalso connected to the framework, and hangs vertically over the outputend of the conveyor or over the gap. These flexible members areconfigured to loosen or remove one or more wrapper leaves of theharvested produce as the harvested produce moves across the gap, and mayalso help to rotate the harvested produce as it is moving down theconveyor causing one or more wrapper leaves to peel off.

Also provided is a mechanical method of removing one or more wrapperleaves of a harvested produce using a leaf removal apparatus. The methodincludes feeding a harvested produce onto a conveyor; transporting theharvested produce on the conveyor towards a stripping roller connectedto a framework of the leaf removal apparatus; and contacting theharvested produce with the stripping roller to remove one or morewrapper leaves. The stripping roller is configured to rotate and exert africtional force on the harvested produce to remove one or more wrapperleaves of the harvested produce. A gap exists between the strippingroller and the output end of the conveyor, and one or more of theremoved wrapper leaves may fall through the gap. The method may alsofurther include contacting the harvested produce with a plurality offlexible members connected to the framework. The flexible members hangvertically over the output end of the conveyor or over the gap, and areconfigured to loosen or remove one or more wrapper leaves of theharvested produce. The flexible members may also help to rotate theharvested produce as it is moving down the conveyor causing one or morewrapper leaves to peel off.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present application can be best understood by references to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, in which like parts may be referred to by like numerals:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D depict an exemplary embodiment of a leafremoval apparatus and the removal of wrapper leaves from a harvestedproduce;

FIG. 2 depicts a free-body diagram of a harvested produce in the leafstripping area of the leaf removal apparatus, illustrating the forcesexerted on the harvested produce by the conveyor, a flexible member, andthe stripping roller;

FIGS. 3A (top view) and 3B (front view) depict different view of theleaf-stripping area in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a leaf removal apparatuswith two sets of flexible members, where one set hangs over the conveyorbefore reaching the leaf stripping area, and the other set hangs overthe gap between the stripping roller and the output end of the conveyorin the leaf stripping area;

FIG. 5 depicts yet another exemplary embodiment of a leaf removalapparatus with two leaf stripping areas; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of removing one ormore wrapper leaves of a harvested produce using a leaf removalapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention, thefollowing description sets forth numerous specific details, such asspecific configurations, parameters, examples, and the like. It shouldbe recognized, however, that such description is not intended as alimitation on the scope of the present invention but is intended toprovide a better description of exemplary embodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-D, an exemplary leaf removal apparatus 100 isdepicted. As described below, apparatus 100 is configured to remove oneor more wrapper leaves 132 from harvested produce 130. As depicted inFIGS. 1A-D, in the present embodiment, harvested produce 130 is iceberglettuce, which is also commonly referred to as crisphead or headlettuce. It should be understood, however, that apparatus 100 may beused for other types of harvested produce. For example, apparatus 100may be used to remove wrapper leaves of harvested leaf lettuce, romainelettuce or cabbage.

With reference to FIG. 1A, apparatus 100 includes framework 104,flexible members 106, stripping roller 108, and conveyor 102. In thisexemplary embodiment, flexible members 106 and stripping roller 108 areconnected to framework 104. Both are positioned and configured to worktogether to remove one or more wrapper leaves 132 from harvested produce130 in leaf stripping area 110. Apparatus 100 also includes conveyor102, which is configured to receive and transport harvested produce 130towards leaf stripping area 110. While in some embodiments, conveyor 102may be connected to framework 104, conveyor 102 may have its ownindependent framework.

With reference again to FIG. 1A, conveyor 102 is configured to receiveharvested produce 130 at input end 101, and transport harvested produce130 towards leaf-stripping area 110. As depicted in FIG. 1A, in thisexemplary embodiment, conveyor 102 is made up of a set of parallel rods140. It should be understood, however, that in other embodiments,conveyor 102 may be a belt. Moreover, as depicted in FIG. 1A, in thisexemplary embodiment, conveyor 102 wraps around sprockets 150 and 152.Once rods moving away from input end 101 reach leaf stripping area 110,the rods wrap around sprocket 152 and move back towards input end 101.It should be understood, however, that in other embodiments, conveyor102 may be configured differently. For example, conveyor 102 may beconfigured such that rollers may be used in lieu of sprockets.

With reference to FIG. 1B, in this exemplary embodiment where theconveyor is made up of a set of parallel rods, conveyor 102 isconfigured to have space 142 between two rods. Space 142 is narrowenough to avoid harvested produce 130 from falling through, but wideenough to allow detached wrapper leaf 131 to fall through space 142 ontothe ground. It should be understood that if conveyor 102 is a belt, asdiscussed above, space 142 may not exist in such a configuration of theleaf removal apparatus, since the belt would be a continuous piece ofmaterial.

With reference to FIG. 1C, in this exemplary embodiment, output end 103of conveyor 102, flexible members 106, and stripping roller 108 worktogether in leaf stripping area 110 to loosen and remove one or morewrapper leaves 132. Flexible members 106 may facilitate the removal ofone or more wrapper leaves from harvested produce 130 in a number ofways. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1C, flexible members 106 brushover the surface of harvested produce 130 and may loosen one or morewrapper leaves 132 from harvested produce 130. In other instances (notdepicted in FIG. 1C), one or more wrapper leaves may completely detachfrom the harvested product as a result of the contact with the flexiblemembers. Further, flexible members 106 may slow down the forwardmovement of harvested produce 130 or even hold the produce over the gap(element 112) between the output end of the conveyor and the strippingroller. As such, flexible members 106 may help to prolong the durationof contact between harvested produce 130 and stripping roller 108.Flexible members 106 may also help to rotate harvested produce 130 as itis moving down conveyor 102 causing one or more wrapper leaves to peeloff.

While flexible members 106 are depicted in FIGS. 1A-D as hangingvertically over gap 112, it should be recognized that in otherembodiments, flexible members 106 may hang vertically over output end103 of conveyor 102.

Flexible members 106 may be made of any flexible material that would notdamage harvested produce 130 upon contact. For example, flexible members106 can be formed from urethane. Flexible members 106 may also takedifferent forms. For example, flexible members 106 may be in form ofropes.

With reference to FIG. 1D, stripping roller 108 (as depicted) rotatescounterclockwise. When harvested produce 130 comes in contact withstripping roller 108, stripping roller 108 may loosen wrapper leaf 132from harvested produce 130, or remove wrapper leaf 132. Flexible members106 can help to push any loosen wrapper leaves into gap 112, causing thestripped wrapper leaf to fall to the ground.

Stripping roller 108 can be made of any material, such as rubber, metal,or plastic. In some embodiments, the surface of stripping roller 108 istextured. The texture can help to create a frictional force useful forloosening and removing one or more of the wrapper leaves. Any texture onstripping roller 108, however, is selected to minimize damage to theinner leaves of the harvested produce. It should be understood that thetexture of the surface of stripping roller 108 may vary depending on thetype, size, and maturity of the harvested produce processed. Forexample, when the produce is harvested at a less mature stage, thewrapper leaves are typically more tightly attached to the harvestedproduce. As such, the stripping roller may be textured to generateenough of frictional force to loosen and remove wrapper leaves. Itshould also be understood that, in certain embodiments, the surface ofthe stripping roller can be smooth if the material of the strippingroller can create a frictional force to help remove the wrapper leaves.

FIG. 2 is a free-body-diagram depicting some of the forces that can beexerted on harvested produce 130 while in contact with the conveyor,flexible members, and stripping roller. The conveyor imparts force 202on harvested produce 130. The flexible members, which provide someresistance against harvested produce 130, impart force 204 on theharvested produce 130. One of skill in the art would recognize thatforce 204 is the sum of forces 204A and 204B. The stripping roller,which rotates in a counterclockwise direction, imparts force 206 onharvested produce 130. One of skill in the art would recognize thatforce 206 is the sum of forces 206A and 206B.

The sum of forces 202, 204A and 206A (as depicted in FIG. 2) determineswhether harvested produce remains in the gap between the strippingroller and the output end of the conveyor or moves forward beyond thegap, for example, to a second conveyor, a container, or anotherprocessing station. For example, if force 202 exceeds the sum of force204A and 206A, then harvested produce 130 would tumble forward past thegap. If force 202 equals the sum of force 204A and 206A, then harvestedproduce 130 would sit in the gap until another harvested produce frombehind pushes harvested produce 130 forward.

Forces 204B and 206B are depicted in FIG. 2 as downward forces that cancontribute to the removal of wrapper leaves on harvested produce 130.For example, if the flexible member comes in contact with one or morewrapper leaves where force 204 is exerted, the downward component offorce 204 (i.e., force 204B) can help to loosen and remove one or morewrapper leaves from harvested produce 130. Similarly, if the strippingroller comes in contact with one or more wrapper leaves where force 206is exerted, the downward component of force 206 (i.e., force 206B) canhelp to loosen and remove one or more wrapper leaves from harvestedproduce 130.

The amount of force exerted on harvested produce 130 by the conveyor,flexible members, and stripping roller may vary based on numerousfactors including the type of produce processed, the maturity of theharvested produce, and the pace at which harvested produce are fed ontothe conveyor. The amount of force 202 exerted by the conveyor may bevaried by controlling the speed of the conveyor. The amount of force 204exerted by the flexible members may be varied by the type of materialused. The amount of force 206 exerted by the stripping roller may bevaried by controlling the rotational speed of the stripping roller. Thespeed of the conveyor and the rotational speed of the stripping rollermay be coordinated to optimize the overall forces exerted on theharvested produce. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio between therotational speed of the stripping roller to the speed of the conveyor isbetween 1 to 4 (e.g., 1, 2, 3 or 4).

With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, several other factors may beoptimized to control effectiveness of leaf removal of apparatus 100including, for example, the diameter of the stripping roller, the widthof the gap between the stripping roller and the output end of theconveyor, the length of the flexible members, and the width between eachflexible member.

With reference to FIG. 3A, the diameter (element 122) of strippingroller 108 may be varied depending on the type, size and maturity of theproduce used on apparatus 100. Diameter 122 is typically between 0.5inch and 5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment where harvested produce isiceberg lettuce, diameter 122 of stripping roller 108 may be about 1.5inches.

With reference again to FIG. 3A, gap 112 exists between the longitudinalaxis of stripping roller 108 and the horizontal edge of output end 103of conveyor 102. The width (element 120) of gap 112 may be varieddepending on the type, size and maturity of the produce used onapparatus 100. Width 120 is typically between 0.5 to 3 inches. In oneembodiment where harvested produce is iceberg lettuce, width 120 isabout 1 inch. It should be understood that width 120 may be wider ifharvested produce 130 is larger in size, and narrower if harvestedproduce 130 is smaller in size.

With reference to FIG. 3B, length 124 of the flexible members may bevaried depending on the type, size and maturity of the produce used onapparatus 100. Length 124 is typically between 6 to 24 inches. In oneembodiment where harvested produce is iceberg lettuce, length 124 isabout 12 inches. It should be understood that length 124 may be longerif harvested produce 130 is larger in size, and shorter if harvestedproduce 130 is smaller in size. It should be understood that whileflexible members 106 may all be the same length, the lengths may also beunequal and differ slightly from one flexible member to another.

With reference again to FIG. 3B, width 126 between two flexible membersmay be varied depending on the type, size and maturity of the produceused on apparatus 100. Width 126 is typically between 1 to 10 inches. Inone embodiment where harvested produce is iceberg lettuce, width 126 isabout 4 inches. It should be understood that width 126 may be wider ifharvested produce 130 is larger in size, and narrower if harvestedproduce 130 is smaller in size. It should be understood that while thespace between two flexible members 106 may all be the same width, thewidths may also be unequal and differ slightly between one set ofadjacent flexible members to another set of adjacent flexible members.

Additionally, while FIG. 3B depicts two flexible members in contact withharvested produce 130, it should be understood that harvested produce130 may not always be in contact with two flexible members. For example,in some instances, harvested produce 130 may be in contact with only oneflexible member, and wrapper leaves 132 may still be loosened andremoved as described above.

While apparatus 100 depicted in FIGS. 1-3 has one set of flexiblemembers, in other exemplary embodiments, a leaf removal apparatus mayhave one of more additional sets of flexible members. For example, theadditional sets of flexible members may be positioned outside of theleaf-stripping area. FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary leaf removal apparatus400 that has a second set of flexible members 407. In other embodiments,leaf removal apparatus may not have any flexible members. In such anembodiment, the conveyor and stripping roller are positioned andconfigured to work together to loosen and remove one or more wrapperleaves from a harvested produce.

With reference to FIG. 4, apparatus 400 includes framework 404, a firstset of flexible members 406, a second set of flexible members 407,stripping roller 408, and conveyor 402. In this exemplary embodiment,flexible members 406 and stripping roller 408 are connected to framework404, and are positioned and configured to work together to remove one ormore wrapper leaves 432 from a harvested produce 430 in leaf strippingarea 410. A second set of flexible members 407 is connected to framework404, and hangs vertically over conveyor 402. In this exemplaryembodiment, flexible members 407 comes in contact with harvested produce430 before the harvested produce reaches leaf stripping area 410.Flexible members 407 can help to loosen and even remove loose wrapperleaves 432 of harvested produce 430, before the harvested productreaches leaf stripping area 410.

While apparatus 100 depicted in FIGS. 1-3 has one leaf stripping area,in other exemplary embodiments, a leaf removal apparatus may have moretwo or more leaf-stripping areas. FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary leafremoval apparatus 500 that has two leaf stripping areas, 510 and 520.Apparatus 500 includes conveyors 502 and 512, flexible members 506 and516, and stripping rollers 508 and 518. The first conveyor, i.e.,conveyor 502, is configured to move a plurality of harvested producetowards leaf stripping area 510, where the harvested produce comes intocontact with flexible members 506 and stripping roller 508. In someinstances, apparatus 500 may have removed all the wrapper leaves of agiven harvested produce; but in other instances, apparatus may have onlyloosed the wrapper leaves of the harvested produce, or removed some ofthe wrapper leaves. Apparatus 500 also includes a second conveyor, i.e.,conveyor 512, configured to receive harvested produce from leafstripping area 510 and to move the harvested produce towards leafstripping area 520, where the harvested produce comes into contact withflexible members 516 and stripping roller 518 to remove one or more ofany remaining wrapper leaves on the harvested produce. Additionally,apparatus 500 includes conveyor 522 configured to receive harvestedproduce from leaf stripping area 520, and to move the harvested produceto a container or bin, or another processing station, such as a washing,inspection or packaging station.

While FIGS. 1-5 depict exemplary leaf removal apparatuses as astandalone apparatus, the leaf removal apparatus may be part of a largermechanical harvester. For example, the leaf removal apparatus may beconnected to a cutting and transporting apparatus of a mechanicalharvester. The cutting and transporting apparatus can sever produce inthe field, transport the harvested produce to the back of the mechanicalharvester, and deliver the harvested produce to the input end of aconveyor of the leaf removal apparatus. The leaf removal apparatus mayalso be connected to one or more processing stations, including forexample stations for inspecting, sorting, washing, and packaging theharvested produce.

Provided herein is also a method for removing wrapper leaves of produce.With reference to FIG. 6, process 600 depicts an exemplary process forremoving one or more wrapper leaves of a harvested produce using any ofthe leaf removal apparatuses described herein. In step 602, a harvestedproduce is fed onto a conveyor of a leaf removal apparatus. The conveyormay be connected to a framework of the leaf removal apparatus, or theconveyor may have its own independent framework. In step 604, theharvested produce is transported on the conveyor towards the leafstripping area of the leaf removal apparatus. The leaf area includes theoutput end of the conveyor, as well as the stripping roller and aplurality of flexible members both of which are connected to theframework of the leaf removal apparatus. As discussed above, however,flexible members may not be present in certain embodiments of the leafremoval apparatus.

In this exemplary method, the leaf removal apparatus used has a set offlexible members that hang vertically over the leaf stripping area. Withreference again to FIG. 6, in step 606, the harvested produce comes intocontact with the flexible members, which are configured to loosen orremove one or more wrapper leaves. In step 608, the harvested producecomes into contact with the stripping roller, which is configured torotate and exert a force to remove one or more wrapper leaves. It shouldbe understood that steps 606 and 608 may occur at about the same time inthe leaf stripping area (depicted by box 620).

As described above with respect to the exemplary leaf removalapparatuses, a gap exists between the longitudinal axis of strippingroller and the horizontal edge of the output end of the conveyor. One ormore of the removed wrapper leaves may fall through this gap, to preventthese wrapper leaves from moving on in the harvesting process.

In step 610, the stripped harvested produce moves across the gap of theleaf stripping area and falls onto a second conveyor, a container, oranother processing platform or station. The stripped harvested producemay move across the gap, away from the leaf stripping area, by momentumof the harvested produce as it was transported by the conveyor.Additionally, the stripped harvested produce may move across the gap bya push from a second harvested produce from behind. It should beunderstood that a plurality of harvested produce may be processed usingthe leaf removal apparatus described above.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended tobe exhaustive, and it should be understood that many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teaching.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for removing one or more wrapperleaves of a harvested produce, the apparatus comprising: a framework; astripping roller connected to the framework; a conveyor configured totransport the harvested produce towards the stripping roller, whereinthe conveyor comprises a set of parallel rods, and wherein a spaceexists between adjacent rods, wherein a gap exists between the strippingroller and the output end of the conveyor, and wherein the strippingroller is configured to rotate and exert a frictional force on theharvested produce to remove one or more wrapper leaves of the harvestedproduce, when the harvested produce moves across the gap; and aplurality of flexible members connected to the framework, wherein theplurality of flexible members hangs vertically above the conveyor, andwherein the plurality of flexible members is configured to (i) loosenone or more wrapper leaves of the harvested produce, or (ii) remove oneor more wrapper leaves of the harvested produce and push one or moreremoved wrapper leaves through the space between adjacent rods of theconveyor, prior to contact with the stripping roller.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the stripping roller has a smooth or texturedsurface.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stripping rollerrotates at a speed that is at least twice as fast as the speed at whichthe conveyor transports the harvested produce.
 4. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the stripping roller has a diameter between 1 inch and 2inches.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gap between thestripping roller and the output end of the conveyor is between 0.5inches and 4 inches.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a space existsbetween adjacent flexible members, and wherein the space betweenadjacent flexible members is between 1 to 10 inches.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the stripping roller is positioned at a level below thetransporting surface of the conveyor.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the harvested produce is a harvested lettuce or a harvestedcabbage.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the harvested produce is aharvested iceberg lettuce.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theplurality of the flexible members is configured to apply a force on theharvested produce to loosen or remove one or more wrapper leaves of theharvested produce.
 11. A mechanical method of removing one or morewrapper leaves of a harvested produce using a leaf removal apparatus,the method comprising: feeding a harvested produce onto a conveyor,wherein the conveyor comprises a set of parallel rods, and wherein aspace exists between adjacent rods; transporting the harvested produceon the conveyor towards a stripping roller connected to a framework ofthe leaf removal apparatus, wherein a gap exists between the strippingroller and an output end of the conveyor; contacting the harvestedproduce with (i) a plurality of flexible members connected to theframework, wherein the plurality of flexible members hangs verticallyabove the conveyor, and (ii) the stripping roller; and loosening orremoving one or more wrapper leaves of the harvested produce by contactwith the plurality of flexible members, or the stripping rollerconfigured to rotate and exert a frictional force on the harvestedproduce, or a combination thereof, wherein one or more of the removedwrapper leaves fall through the space between adjacent rods of theconveyor, or the gap between the stripping roller and an output end ofthe conveyor.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the harvested produceis a harvested lettuce or a harvested cabbage.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the harvested produce is a harvested iceberg lettuce. 14.The method of claim 11, wherein one or more wrapper leaves of theharvested produce are loosened or removed by contact with the strippingroller as the harvested produce moves across the gap.
 15. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the stripping roller has a smooth or textured surface.16. The method of claim 11, wherein the stripping roller rotates at aspeed that is at least twice as fast as the speed at which the conveyortransports the harvested produce.
 17. The method of claim 11, whereinthe stripping roller has a diameter between 1 inch and 2 inches.
 18. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the gap between the stripping roller and theoutput end of the conveyor is between 0.5 inches and 4 inches.
 19. Amechanical method of removing one or more wrapper leaves of a harvestedproduce using a leaf removal apparatus, the method comprising: feeding afirst and second harvested produce onto a conveyor, wherein the conveyorcomprises a set of parallel rods, and wherein a space exists betweenadjacent rods, and wherein the second harvested produce is fed after thefirst harvested produce; transporting the first harvested producetowards a stripping roller connected to a framework of the leaf removalapparatus, wherein a gap exists between the stripping roller and theoutput end of the conveyor; contacting the first harvested produce with(i) a plurality of flexible members connected to the framework, whereinthe plurality of flexible members hangs vertically above the conveyor,and (ii) the stripping roller; loosening or removing one or more wrapperleaves of the first harvested produce by contact with the plurality offlexible members, or the stripping roller configured to rotate and exerta frictional force on the first harvested produce, or a combinationthereof, wherein one or more of the removed wrapper leaves of the firstharvested produce fall through the space between adjacent rods of theconveyor, or the gap between the stripping roller and an output end ofthe conveyor; transporting the second harvested produce towards thestripping roller; contacting the second harvested produce with the firstharvested produce; and pushing the first harvested produce through thegap towards a second conveyor or a container.
 20. The method of claim19, further comprising: contacting the second harvested produce with thestripping roller; and removing one or more wrapper leaves of the secondharvested produce by contact with the stripping roller configured torotate and exert a frictional force on the second harvested produce,wherein one or more of the removed wrapper leaves of the secondharvested produce fall through the gap.